Expansible chamber motor of the



Dec. 17, 1946. F. BERRY Re 22,818

EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER MOTOR OF THE ROTARY ABUTMENT TYPE ed Jan. 2, 1941 4 Sheets-Shet 1 Original F1].

Dec. 17, 1946. F. BERRY Re 22,818

EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER MOTOR OF THE ROTARY ABUTMENT TYPE 2, 1941 '4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan.

Dec. 17, 1946. F. BERRY Re 22,818

Y R MOTOR OF THE ROTARY ABUTMENT TYPE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 EXPANSIBLE CHAMBE Original Filed Jan. 2, 1941 Dec. ,17, 1946. F. BERRY Re 22,818

EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER MOTOR OF THE ROTARY ABUTMENT TYPE 4 Shets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Jan. 2, 1941 Reissued Dec. 17, 1946 22,518 EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER MOTOR or run ROTARY ABU TMENT TYPE Frank Berry, Corinth, Miss.

Original N0. Serial No.

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to rotary motors, and more particularly to such motors utilizing a rotary abutment operating in synchronism with a rotor and piston to seal the power chamber, and is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 331,226, now matured as Patent No. 2,290,027.

Rotary motors of this type are well known and the theoretical advantages of increased power and smoothness of operation of such a motor over the reciprocating motor is recognized, but due to pressure losses between the rotor and the abutment at their point of peripheral contact, and overheating because of the increased ratio of the length of the power stroke to the total revolution of the rotor, this type of motor has never been very practical in use. Many improvements have been devised in an effort to correct these defects, butthe use of the rotary motor is still quite limited.

Many rotary motors having rotary abutments control the inlet and exhaust of power gases by means of valve openings in the abutment. As these valves are closed during the greater part of the rotation of the rotor, no scavenging of the burnt gases of combustion is provided for. Hot gases remaining in the cylinder tend to overheat the motor, as well as to mix with the fresh gases drawn into the combustion chamber.

The primary object of this invention is to provide means to perfect the sealing of the power chamber of a rotary motor by materially decreasing the necessary amount of line contact between the rotor and the abutment, and substituting broad areas of surface contact between the abutment and the cylinder walls while maintaining maximum size of piston and cylinder.

A further object of the invention is to reduce the length of travel of the piston in the socalled dead spot, or the length of stroke necessary from the time the abutment breaks its seal with the rotor and the piston passes the abutment, to the time when seal is again made.

The invention contemplates means to compress air ahead of the piston, to be subsequently mixed with fuel to provide a charge to be injected under pressure into the motor.

Another object is the provision of means to allow the exhaust gases to escape around the piston before the piston has reached the abutment, and to provide for a surge of compressed air into the cylinder to scavenge the burnt gases and cool the cylinder.

The invention also provides means to extend the useful expansion of gases trapp d within the 2,297,529, dated 372,923, January 2, tion for reissue September 2'7,

September 29, 1942,

1941. Applica- 1943, Serial No.

abutment by permitting the gases to escape after the inlet valve is closed and the piston opening in the abutment has passed the mouth of the cylinder, thus giving more power to a given charge of fuel.

An important object of the invention is to provide improved means to cool all moving parts of the motor as well as the casing.

An additional purpose of this invention is to provide a rotary motor of simple design that can be readily converted from an internal combustion engine to one powered by steam or compressed air or into an air compressor or a fluid pump.

Various other objects will become apparent in the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-section of a rotary motor embodying the concepts of the present invention, and is taken on the line l-l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section similar to Fig.

l but viewed in the opposite direction, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig, 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the rotor and associated parts of the casing illustrating the bearing seat for the rotary abutment;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the shaft and rotor with the piston attached;

Fig. '1 is a perspective view of the rotary abutment;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section of a motor converted for the use of steam or compressed air as the propellant gas; and

Fig. 9 is a cross-section of a motor converted for use as an air compressor or pump.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a motor I0 is shown comprising a. rotor I l, a rotary abutment l2, and a casing I! to house the rotor and rotary abutment. The rotor H comprises a. flywheel II and a piston l5, and is mounted upon a central shaft l6 which is iournaled at IT in the casing. Antifriction bearings l8 support the shaft within the Journals and may be of the cone type and be adjustable by means of the ring nut l9 to properly align the shaft and maintain the rotor in perfectly centered position at all times. Flywheel I4 is made heavy to ensure balance and smoothness of operation, and is provided with a plurality of annular concentric fins 20 on either side face which seat in matching concentric grooves 21 in the side walls of the casing and serve and is mere line contact the dual purpose of providing a. stepped joint between the rotor and the casing to prevent power losses, and as an added means to maintain the rotor in proper position. The relativel narrow chamber 22 formed in the casing to receive the flywheel is so machined as to closely embrace the flywheel and provide a precision running fit.

It will be noted from the drawings that the rotor chamber 22 extends beyond the periphery oi the flywheel to a point where annular shoulders 23 are formed on the casing where the relatively narrow rotor chamber is expanded to form an annular cylinder 24 in whichthe piston is travels. The cross-sectional width of the cylinder is preterably several times that or the rotor chamber and that portion or the rotor ehamber'which extends beyond the periphery of as part of the cylinder.

Extending through the upper part of to permit passage of the through the abutment at the completion of each stroke.

abutment and rotor rotate and are only in peripheral contact, which permits between the two members. According to prior practice in which the rotor and the piston were of substantially equal cross-section, a. seal consisting only in line contact between .the.rotor and abutment across the entire broad area of the cylinder was depended upon to hold the gas pressure.

In the practice of the present invention, the annular shoulders 23, which form the greater portion of the inner wall of the cylinder, are re- Because the flywheel is narrower than the piston and terminates below the inner wall of the cylthe flywheel serves shown, and the atmosphere.

the shoulders 2!, and the piston is secured to it by means or the bolts 34. The on also provides a ridge 35 in front of the piston and a ridge 36 in back of the piston flush with the shoulders of precompressed gas, not Matching ports 4| and 42 are formed in the side walls of the abutof each revolution. Fig. 1 shows the ents when unexpanded gas prior practice this out of the exhaust gas in the cylinder, as long the bleeder grooves.

Means are provided to compress air ahead of the nistontobeused tomixwith the fuelto provide a preccmpressed volatile charge for the motor. It is known that on opening the exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine, the highly compressed gases emerge with such force as to produce a slight vacuum behind them in the cylinder, causing an inrush of fresh air through the exhaust port into the cylinder. An outlet pipe 45 leads from the cylinder near the exhaust end of the cylinder to any desired storage chamber 45 for compressed air and as the rotor rotates, air which rushed into the cylinder following the explosive emergence of the burnt charge will be forced out through the pipe 45 into the chamber 45. Continued rotation of the motor will build up a pressure within the chamber, the compressed air being held in the chamber by a check valve 41. Obviously'a certain amount of compressed air will be trapped the check valve and the cylinder at such time as the piston, in its travel, covers the outlet 45.

In order to utilize this trapped compressed air in pipe 45 to aid in scavenging the cylinder, it is necessary that the air be held in the pipe 45 while the gas behind the piston is exhausted. This is also necessary to preclude any possibility of the burnt gases behind the piston entering the air pipe 45. To accomplish this a by-pass 48 is provided in the cylinder side wall which extends from the abutment to a point beyond the air outlet. When the piston reaches a position where it covers the air outlet pipe, as is shown in Fig. 3, the piston will have uncovered the end of the by-pass 4B, which by-pass will then be in communication with a recessed extension 49 of the exhaust port 42 Of the abutment, and the port 42 will be commencing to open the port 45. Burnt gases behind the piston may then exhaust through by-pass 48, recess 49 and ports 42 and 40, bringing the gases behind the piston to vacuum ressure, which causes fresh air to be sucked in through the exhaust port. As the piston moves forward and uncovers the pipe 45, the compressed air in the pipe 45 between the check valve and the cylinder will expand back into the cylinder scavenging the cylinder forcing some of the air in the cylinder out through the exhaust port, which is open to its fullest extent, and further diluting any residual gases which may have been left in the cylinder.

The side face of the abutment containing the exhaust port may also have formed therein recess 50, which communicates with the exhaust port 40 in the casing and the by-pass 48 during that portion of the cycle of operation of the motor immediately following the firing of the charge. This will permit the air ahead of the piston to discharge to the atmosphere, the extent and position of the recess 50 determining the point in the cycle of rotation at which the piston will begin to compress air.

Cooling of the motor is accomplished by circulatin a cooling fluid through the rotor, abutment and casing. The various passageways for the cooling medium are so shaped and arranged as to utilize the centrifugal force set up by the rotating members to promote the circulation of the fluid. Inlet and outlet conduits 5| and 52 are provided in the rotor shaft which lead into and from the chambers 53 and 54 in the rotor. The walls of the chamber 53 are smooth curves, and the chamber tapers from the wide area at its juncture with inlet 5| to the narrow passageway leading to the piston l5. This narrowing within the pipe 45, between opposite ends of the of the chamber increases the velocity of the fluid as it asses through the piston, providing a greater rate of heat exchange in the piston and added cooling at that important point. when the water passes out of the piston into the enlarged chamber 54 its velocity is reduced before it passes out through the conduit 52. A pump 55 may be mounted on one end of the rotor shaft as a positive means of forcing the fluid through the conduit and a collecting chamber may be fixed at the opposite end of the shaft.

Abutment shaft 25 is hollow to provide inlet and outlet conduits 55 and 51 leading into and out of the cored out body portionof the abutment. Angularly arranged fins 55 extending from the abutment walls aid in the circulation of the fluid through the abutment. A pump 59 and a collecting chamber 55 may be mounted on the abutment shaft. The several pumps and collecting chambers of the rotor and abutment may be connected together to form a complete circulation system for the cooling fluid through the rotor and abutment, or the rotor and abutment may each have independent systems. The motor casing is water jacketed as at 6| for cooling the cylinder walls.

In Fig. 8 is shown a motor constructed in accordance with the present invention, which has been converted for use with steam or compressed air as a power medium. An intake 52 is provided in the abutment for the admission of a uniform charge of steam or air, and an exhaust outlet 53 allows the expanded charge to exhaust as soon as the piston has passed the exhaust port. When a continuous application of power to the piston is desired the intake 52 is closed and the steam or air hose is connected to the pipe 54,

To use the motor as a pump or air compressor, inlet and outlet ports 55 and 55 are provided. Power may be applied to the rotor shaft from any suitable source, and as the rotor moves, the piston will draw in liquid or air through the port 55. The first revolution of the rotor will fill the cylinder with liquid, and continued rotation will force the liquid out through the port 55.

Although one practical embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a rotary motor comprising a, casing having an annular peripheral chamber and an inner chamber of relatively narrower width than said peripheral chamber and communicating therewith, a shaft journalled in said casing, a cylindrical rotor on said shaft rotatively mounted in said inner chamber, the cylindrical radius of said rotor being less than the radius of said inner chamber forming an annular space about said rotor, a piston radially extending from said rotor for rotation within said peripheral chamber and of corresponding width to said peripheral chamber, ridges on said rotor for a distance on either side of the piston, filling the annular space defined by the cylindrical surface of the rotor and the projecting side walls of the inner chamber and having their upper surfaces flush with the periphery of said projecting side walls, and at their outer ends merging with the cylindrical surface of the rotor, annular shoulders on the casing at the juncture of inner and peripheral chambers constituting a major portion of the inner wall of the peripheral chamber and having arcuate recesses therein, an abutment mounted 7 torotateinsaidcasingseatedinsaidrecesses in peripheral contact with said rotor and having an opening to permit passing of said piston and ridges; said abutment opening having inlet and exhaust port openings therein; whereby the ports be in communication with the peripheral chamber when the abutment opening is in registry with opposite sides or the peripheral chamber and the said abutment will maintain a' seal until the leading edge of the abutment opening passes from the recess, and will make a seal when the trailin edge of the abutment opening enters said recess.

2. In a device of the class described, incombination, a rotor mounted on a Shaft for rotation between spaced casing walls having a radius from the said shaft greater than the radius of the rotor to form an annular channel of predetermined transverse width, the said spaced casing walls terminating in outwardly disposed disposed within the said enlarged annular passage, a cylindrical abutment mounted for rota-I a distal sealing surface area cooperative with the leading wall of theabutment to form a pressure seal closing one end of the said fluid-charge receiving space, its other end being closed by the said pressure seal between the sealing surface area of the peripheral projection and the trailing edge of the abutment.

I 5. In a device of nation,

form an enlarged annular passage of a transverse width greater than the said predetermined width seal until the piston has entered the abutment opening to a position close to the leading wall of the abutment to decrease the space within which the fluid charge is compressed.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein the said piston is further provided with a distal sealing surface area cooperative with the trailing wall of the abutment to form a pressure seal closing one end of the said fluid-charge compression space, its other end being closed by the said pressure seal between the sealing surface area of the peripheral projection and the leading edge 01 the abutment.

FRANK BERRY. 

